How to Plan Your First Deluxe Wine Tour to Napa Valley

Napa Valley is one of the world’s top rated wine producing region. There are various tours arranged for visitors that you can enjoy to get the full experience of wine tasting. Combined with the natural beauty of California, a wine tour in Napa Valley can be marvelous.

Planning your first deluxe wine tour to the Napa Valley is very easy. It just requires some basic knowledge about the place. All you need to do is follow these steps, and your trip to Napa will be the most memorable one ever.

When to Visit Napa Valley

Most people prefer to visit Napa Valley in the summer. The only problem at that time is the place becomes over crowded. Most of the wineries are flooded with visitors. All that you will experience at this time is just standing in lines to taste wine. Crowded restaurants, and no place to relax and enjoy nature. That’s surely far from a relaxing wine tour.

The right time to visit Napa Valley is in the fall, in the months of September and October. This time period is reserved for the harvesting and crushing of grapes. So you can witness all of the best of winemaking. You can also consider visiting Napa in the month of November as the weather is very pleasant, and the number of tourists and visitors drops significantly.

Another perfect time to visit Napa Valley is during the Spring months of March to May. The view during this time period is truly breathtaking. This is the time of bloom, so everywhere you go, you see bright colored mustard flowers. Even though there will be no grapes visible during this time, you won’t even realize they are missing due to such amazing views around.

The first and most important thing to remember while planning a visit to Napa Valley is to pick the right time to visit. The best time to visit is either Spring or Fall, but it also depends on your personal preferences.

Where to Stay

It is important to find the right hotel in Napa Valley. Many factors, like proximity to wineries and other basic services is important. It needs to be in the right location in the town where you are planning to stay. It also needs to be close to the wineries you plan to visit.

The most popular areas where you can stay during your visit to Napa Valley are:

Downtown Napa is an older town but the downtown has gone through a revitalization and is generally one of the less expensive places to stay in Napa.

Yountville is the hub for some of the best restaurants, including the world famous French Laundry, and really good hotels and inns. You can walk to all the restaurants and there are several tasting rooms in town.

Calistoga is the northernmost part of Napa Valley and famous for its mud baths.

St. Helena and Rutherford has hotels that are places to visit in themselves. Although they are expensive, staying there is worth the money spent.

Arranging for Transportation

For visiting the wineries, you can opt for the group tours. Private transportation services are also available. Group tours are more affordable, whereas private ones offer you more privacy.

Some of the options that you can opt for your transportation are:

Hiring a driver for your vehicle.

Hiring a private car with a driver.

Joining a group tour which will pick you up and drop you back at the hotel.

Budget

Different wineries have different prices for their wine tasting tours. The fees generally vary from $15 to $100 per person.This depends upon the quality of services that are being offered. If the wines produced are expensive, the fee for the tasting the wine will be as well. Some wineries even offer a fee waiver on the purchase of goods from their shops.

A Few of the Best Wineries to Visit

Alpha Omega

This winery is a family-owned, boutique winery in the legendary Rutherford Bench in the heart of the celebrated Napa Valley. Alpha Omega was founded to present world-class wines handcrafted in a welcoming setting reflective of the Napa Valley farming community. The beauty of the modern farm-style winery is quite captivating only surpassed by the wines themselves.

Castello di Amorosa

The wine from this winery is based on ancient Italian style. It took 15 years to construct this beautiful castle. This winery produces some of the world’s finest handcrafted Italian wines. Some of the major wines produced here are Merlot, Primitivo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sangiovese.

Spottswoode (St. Helena, Napa)

This winery was established in 1882 and is family owned. This winery produces only four types of wines, including Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Albarino. Tours conducted here are very personal with a maximum of 10 people at one time.

Artesa Vineyards and Winery

This place is famous for its natural scenic beauty and is family owned. Some of the most famous wines are produced here. Wine tours have varying prices depending upon the type of wine served.

Domaine Carneros

This a breathtaking estate and located in the southern part of the Napa Valley. Sparkling wines are produced in this vineyard. Their complete method of winemaking is shown here from harvesting to bottling the wine after production.

Luna Vineyards

This winery was founded in 1995 and is located close to downtown Napa. The greatest advantage of this place is that it can be reached by bicycle. Wine tasting activities are done in open areas so people can relax while tasting wine. Luna is famous for their Pinot Grigio along with some other varieties, like Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Conclusion

Once you have sorted out the details of where to stay and what to do, it’s time to do some bookings. It is important to remember that smaller wineries entertain people only by appointment. So book well in advance to have a peaceful wine tour without any hassle.